Fatal Moon
by gurugirl
Summary: Written for the 'Lupin Contest' by vampiregirl50. This is a story of how Remus Lupin became a werewolf. R&R please! x


A/N: Ok, this is written for vampiregirl50 whose running the 'Lupin Contest'. I had no idea of the real facts, but I gave it my best shot. Read and enjoy, people! Oh and please review at the end, i'd love to know what you thought. Gurugirl x

* * *

Fenrir Greyback wasn't always a notorious werewolf, whose name would make most cringe with disgust or shiver with fear, at the thought of that monster near their children. No, three years before Greyback was captured by the Department of Magical creatures, Werewolf unit, he was just another normal man. Abeit he was a little strange, not liking the company of others, always stalking around the village at night, wandering through the woods, looking for trouble. So one night, trouble found him. He was cornered by two wolves, and as he ran screaming through the woods, no-one came to his rescue. No-one cared. And that night he became a monster and changed the course of History forever.

Since no-one one had come to his rescue, his hatred of Wizards and Muggles alike, increased a hundredfold. And so, whenever the full moon rose high in the sky, he would position himself close to the nearest wizard or muggle he could find, and kill them. Over three years passed and he got clever and confident in his 'work'. But this put him on the Ministries radar, and one night he got too cocky, and was captured by a man by the name of John Lupin.

John Lupin was a highly respected man throughout the Ministry, known for his good results and his generous nature. He had a beautiful wife by the name of Emily, and a five year old son, Remus. And once he had captured Greyback, that promotion he'd been promised looked to be in the bag. And for awhile things were good. Until that fateful night, when Fenrir Greyback somehow escaped his holding cell. Even now, no-one knows quite how he did it, but all they know is the next night, devestation fell on John Lupin's family.

* * *

Remus Lupin was a quite boy. Shy and content to be by himself. He spent all his time at home with his mother, or in the woods that boardered their back garden. In his parents small cottage, it was quiet and peaceful, surrounded by acres and acres of woods which were perfect to explore during the bright summer days.

Remus often spent his time in the woods by his house, playing on the branches which had fell from their trees or paddling in the small stream, that ran through the entire woods. His mother was usually there with him, but he liked pretending he was on his own. The woods was as much his home as the cottage. He felt safe there.

One night Remus had a dream, a terrible dream of creeping shadows and screaming, as loud and as painful as a banshee's wail. He woke up in a cold sweat, and hugged his knees to him tightly, trying to forget the awful screams that had pierced his once happy dreams.

As ever when he had a nightmare, he climbed uneasily out of bed, and across his bedroom to the door. He twisted the door handle and opened the door, making his way out into the dimly lit hall. He made quickly for his mum and dad's room but as he approached, he heard raised voices which made him freeze where he stood.

_"We cannot be forced out of our own home, John. I simply refuse to leave" said Remus's mother._

_"But we must leave. He will come after me, and he will find you and Remus. I will not have your death's on my conscience. All you have to do is go away for awhile, until he is recaptured"._

_"But how can you be sure he will be captured again. If I was him I would have ran away from anyone who had ties with the Ministry, not towards them" said Emily. "And what about Remus, he loves it here"._

_"You have to leave, god dammit woman. You do not understand. If-"._

Remus had heard enough. His parents were arguing over something that he did not understand, and all he really wanted them to do was to make him feel safe. He needed to feel safe right now, and forget that horrible dream. And then it came to him, the one place he truely felt safe, no matter how upset he was. The woods. He quickly and quietly ran over to the front door, and found that the door was still unlocked.

Being only five years old, he had no appreciation for danger, and he did not yet know fear. So no warning sprang to his mind as he tip-toed out the door, and was nearly knocked off his feet by a large gust of wind. He shivered slightly, and wrapped his arms around himself, before making his way out into the garden. The only light to guide him to the edge of the woods was the glittering full moon, which hung clear in the sky, surrounded by tiny stars. It illuminated the trees infront of him, giving them a ghostly glow.

All of a sudden, he wasn't so sure anymore. The woods looked scarier at night than they ever had done during the day. But he had almost reached them now, was there a point to turning back? Just then he heard a faint growling noise come from somewhere inside the woods, near the edge he guessed, by how clear it was. Remus guessed it to be a stray dog, but stopped in his tracks anyway. As he looked into the woods he saw a shadow pass from around the trees, and then something stalking towards him. Alarm bells rang in his young mind, as a terrible creature came into view and reared onto it's back legs in front of him. It leaned over, snarling and growling, it's yellow eyes fixing on his brown ones. His brain screamed at him to move, but his legs would not comply. All he could do was stand there, transfixed in horror.

Then from behind him came a woman's shouts. "Run Remus. Run!"

The spell had broken, and Remus turned to dart back inside, but his legs were to small to carry him fast enough, and before he had taken more than two steps, he found himself pinned to the ground, underneath this gigantic beast. It started tearing at him, biting and clawing at his torso while he screamed. He screamed in pain and shock, as tears rolled onto his cheeks and his senses began to fade.

Just then the weight was lifted from his chest and he could make out bright lights from above him, and then someone elses's screams. He turned his head painfully to one side and saw his mother laying sprawled on the grass, her beautiful brown curls crowning her head, and his father stood above her, fighting off the beast. Remus dragged his aching body over to her, as his father started moving forward, forcing the beast back into the woods. Every muscle in his body screamed with pain, and he tasted something wet and hot in his mouth, but he clawed at the grass, dragging his body behind him.

As he reached his mum, he took in her limp form and her shallow breathing.

"Mum" he whimpered, and her eyes moved to him.

"Don't let - it change - you - Remus" she said, quietly, gasping for breath between words. "Don't you dare - let him - change - you". And then her eyes glazed over and her shallow breathing stopped.

Remus had no idea what his mum had meant, he had no idea what had just happened, but soon his dad was sitting at her side, shaking her, calling her name while tears poured unchecked from his eyes. Remus fell back onto the grass, limp and in terrible pain. He felt the wait of the monster still on top of him, crushing his chest so he could no longer breathe.

And as he gasped for air, he heard a whimper of "Remus" before everything span around him and the world went dark.

* * *

A couple of days later, Remus woke in his bed, covered in bandages and in incredible pain. His fragile body had been torn to pieces, and as he struggled to catch his breath he caught sight of his dad standing at the door.

"I'm sorry Remus, i'm so so sorry" his dad whispered.

That week, John Lupin retired from the Ministry of Magic and moved himself and his son away from that terrible place. They brought a place in the country side, surrounded by fields instead of woods. Staying at their old cottage had been too much to bare, what with the horror of that night reflected in every corner of the garden, and Emily's scent and memory lingering in every room in the house. The loss of Remus's mother was hard on both of them, and in the end it was best for them to move.

John spent many hours shut in his study, reading book after book on lycanthropy, desperately searching for a cure. Remus spent all his time shut in the house, hidden from the outside world, afraid of what lurked in the shadows.

Many would believe that this was the end for Remus. Finished before his life had really started. Cursed with lycanthropy, which would no doubt kill the poor boy sooner rather than later. But his father kept hope, kept faith, looking after Remus as best he could, in memory of her. Even he believed at times that Remus would not hold out long, but always cursed himself afterwards.

Once Remus was old enough to realise what was happening to him, he began to treat each day like the end. But this was not the end, because Remus John Lupin, had a long way to go yet.


End file.
